Hunters and anglers can add fresh wild game and fish to their Memorial Day menus. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) reminds Missourians that squirrel and black bass seasons open May 25, the Saturday before Memorial Day.

SQUIRRELS

The open season on eastern gray and fox squirrels runs from May 25 through Feb. 15, 2020. Allowed hunting methods are shotguns, rifles, and other legal firearm methods, as well as archery equipment, slingshots, or atlatls. The daily limit for hunting and trapping is 10 and the possession limit is 20. Hunters can harvest squirrels with the following permits: Archery Hunting, Daily Small Game, Small Game Hunting and Fishing, and Small Game Hunting.

Squirrels may also be harvested with cage-type traps during the hunting season as long as hunters have valid permits. Traps must be labeled with the hunter’s full name and address, or Conservation Number, be attended daily, and have an opening 144 square inches or smaller.

Get more information on squirrel hunting and trapping from MDC’s 2019 Summary of Missouri Hunting and Trapping Regulations at https://bit.ly/2vPs0Nf and from MDC’s 2019 Small Game Hunting Prospects at https://bit.ly/2f2K81u.

Anglers may catch and keep black bass, such as largemouth, smallmouth, spotted/Kentucky bass, May 25 through Feb. 29, 2020, in most streams south of the Missouri River. Black bass can be caught and released legally throughout the year anywhere in Missouri, and legal-sized bass may be kept all year long from impoundments statewide. In most state waters, the daily limit on black bass is six. Fish taken from most rivers and streams must be 12 inches long. Additional specific regulations may apply to specific waters or areas. Anglers must have a valid fishing permit or be exempt.

More information on bass fishing can be found in MDC’s 2019 Summary of Missouri Fishing Regulations, available where permits are sold, or online at https://bit.ly/2J7b8dm